The Cost of Doing Business
by FaithinBones
Summary: Bravo Team is going home, but Jason and Mandy are still trying to deal with the betrayal of Echo Team.
1. Chapter 1

(The Cost of Doing Business)

A/N: This is my first 'Seal Team' fanfic. If you have the time, please leave a review. Thank you.

I don't own Seal Team.

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"I don't care about my life."

His words sent a chill down her spine. Mandy had watched him slowly lose a sense of himself since they'd deployed. Alana had waited until Jason was ready to leave for Afghanistan before she had decided to tell them she was divorcing him. That had cut him deeply, but he had accepted it. Once he was deployed, he'd tried numerous times to call his children and he was never able to connect with them and his obsession with the betrayal of Echo team had worn him down. The helicopter crash and his injury had been one blow too many and Jason was determined to pretend that he was fine. He was not. "Well, I do."

"I blow his head off . . . Echo boys, they rest in peace."

She needed him to understand that murdering Alan Cutter wouldn't get him the revenge he wanted. "But Jason, the people behind Cutter . . . the big money in Washington, London, Frankfort, Islamabad . . . The people who stand to gain from all of this war, they can't be stopped with a gun."

He was so tired of it all. Jason wanted someone to pay for the deaths of the six men of Echo Team. They needed to be revenged. "How? How?"

And it hit her just like that. She knew how. "Paul Mulwray . . . He's perfect."

Jason turned from the lap top and stared at Mandy. "He's not exactly on our side."

She knew that. She had used Paul when she'd leaked a false story to capture an assassin and he'd printed it. Paul had been angry and he had warned her that he would get a bit of personal revenge even if it was to bring Ray down for killing a boy to do it. He didn't care if the boy's death was an accident. Ray was the scapegoat for Mandy's betrayal and now she had a way to divert his attention. "This story is huge . . . Pulitzer Prize huge. He'll bring down Cutter and everyone attached to Xeon Tactical . . . everyone. Steve's notes and pictures, no one can make them disappear now. Cutter and his people won't be able to bribe or murder their way out of this . . . This will work, Jason. I promise."

He trusted Mandy. He trusted few people outside of Bravo Team, but Mandy was his friend and he trusted her. He would always trust her. "Alright . . . talk to Paul and if he's interested, give him everything . . . This had better work."

"Oh, it'll work." Mandy was so confident, she smiled. "Paul is hungry for a big story. He wants to get out from under the shadow of his father and this will certainly do that. Cutter thinks he got away with murder, but he didn't . . . not this time."

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They were home and Alana and the children were nowhere to be seen. His wife had sent Jason a quick email before he'd left for home that she and the kids were out of town and would be back in a week. That's all. Nothing from his kids, nothing at all.

Jason helped Mandy load her luggage in her car as well as his. "Alana is out of town . . . I guess . . . maybe she'll be back next week . . . I don't know."

Concerned, Mandy closed the trunk of her car and turned to face her friend. "Where are you going to stay? With Ray?"

"Ray? No not Ray . . . he . . . not Ray." Jason didn't know where he was supposed to be. Alana didn't want him home, his kids didn't care, Ray lied to him and he was still angry about that. "I don't know where I'm going."

His confusion was getting worse. Mandy knew that he'd been to see a doctor about his head, but she was worried. The confident take charge Jason was missing in action and she was afraid. "You can stay at my place . . . until you can find your own place. I have plenty of room."

Jason didn't know what to do. Should he accept? "I . . . Sure, thank you. It's just for a little while. I need my own place." His head hurt and it was so hard to think. Mandy's offer was sincere and he knew that she wouldn't mind. Not Mandy. Never Mandy. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." After they left the base, she drove towards her apartment with Jason sitting next to her. "Are you going to make a doctor's appointment?" She didn't want to push him, but there was something wrong. He didn't seem to be getting better. If anything the effects of his concussion seemed to be getting worse.

"I've been to a doctor." His life was shit. What could a doctor do about that? So many dead brothers. Echo team murdered. Nate dead. So many of his brothers had died since he had joined Bravo team and he remembered them all. It was his duty to remember them all. "I'm fine."

She knew that wasn't true. Not by a long shot, so she would have to keep an eye on him. The concussion had been serious, more serious than Jason was willing to admit. He was so busy being angry about Ray's betrayal that he didn't see he was doing the same thing Ray had done. "Alright . . . Once we get squared away we can go get lunch. How does that sound?"

"Tacos . . . Alana and I go to this great taco place with the kids . . . Alana loves it." His wife didn't want him anymore, but he wanted her. He had been in love with her since he was a sophomore in high school. She had been a junior, but she had noticed him. Yeah, almost drowning in a rock quarry is a great way to get someone to notice you. "You'll like them." Damn he wished his head would quit hurting. "The kids like them."

"Okay, we'll go there. Sounds good." If he didn't get better in the next few days, she was going to find a way to get a doctor to see him, even if it meant kidnapping him. She could probably get Sonny and Clay to help her.

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Once his luggage was in the spare bedroom, Jason removed his shoes and lay down on the bed. His headache was starting to annoy him more than anything and it was interfering with his ability to stay on track with a single thought. Memories were jumping in and out of his thoughts and he didn't seem to have control of them. Nate lying in the bottom of the boat, dead. His blood pooling around him. The young boy who died in his arms because the boy couldn't catch another breath. Alana telling him she couldn't share him with Bravo Team anymore. She didn't think she could be his wife anymore. The dead marine who talked to him. It was all confusing.

Mandy watched her friend from the open doorway. She was glad he was resting, but the restless movements of his fingers and legs told her that it wasn't a sound sleep. Checking her watch, she noticed that it was past noon and lunch was out at the taco stand. Maybe when Jason was awake they'd go for dinner. After a few seconds, she left the doorway and entered her bedroom. Unloading her luggage, she began the process of moving back in. It wasn't too hard since she was organized and packed her things so they could be easily unpacked.

She hadn't heard from Paul since she had given him Steve's damning evidence. The photos, the records should sink Xeon Tactical, but she was worried that Paul still might go after Ray. He had asked her to trust him, but it was so hard to do when you trusted very few people in this world. It was her job to be distrustful of everyone and everything. If Paul betrayed her and took down Ray, he would find out what it was like to have her as an enemy. Of course, that would be the least of Paul's problems. Making enemies of Navy Seals could be inherently dangerous. She hoped he knew that.

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Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


	2. Chapter 2

(The Cost of Doing Business)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooo

They were the shadows of his failures. The marine shot after the helicopter went down, the boy who was gassed and died in his arms. He wanted to save them, he really did, but he had failed and now they were haunting him in a taco stand. Jason didn't understand why they were there, but they were and he apologized. "I'm sorry, kid. I'm sorry. I really tried to help you. I wanted to save you and I . . . I didn't."

Mandy saw Jason standing near an empty table. Talking quietly, but to whom she had no idea. "Who are you talking to? Jason, are you okay?" He seemed to be disoriented and she feared this was the result of his concussion.

Now there was no one at the table and Jason panicked. "No." He didn't understand what was going on. He shouldn't be able to see dead people, but they had sat at that table looking at him. Blaming him. "I shouldn't . . ." He backed up, knocking over a table and the woman who had been sitting there. Jason didn't notice. His eyes were on the empty table and he was afraid.

Mandy waved a patron away from Jason. "It's okay." She moved closer to her friend. "I'm here. It's okay." She could see the look of fear on his face. Not an emotion she ever recalled seeing before. She knew he was in a bad place. "Are you okay? It's me . . . It's me, it's Mandy. We're home." She was afraid he was flashing back to Afghanistan. She didn't know what he was seeing, but whatever it was, she knew it was bad. "You just had a concussion. You're okay." Except she knew he wasn't okay. One look at his face was enough to tell everyone in that room that Jason was far from okay.

Cautiously, she moved forward and took his hand in her hand. "Come with me, Jason. You can trust me."

Filled with anxiety, Jason gripped her hand and used it as a life line. He didn't know what was going on. He was home. He knew that, but something was wrong. He shouldn't be able to see the Marine or the child. They were dead. He knew they were dead. It wasn't possible, but it was happening anyway. "I . . ." Jason wanted it to go away. The pain in his head wasn't helping the situation. "I . . ."

She slowly pulled him toward the exit. "It's alright, Jason. Follow me. It's alright." And miraculously he did. His grip was painful, but Mandy ignored it. Once they were outside, she pulled her keys from her pocket, unlocked her car doors and opened the passenger door. "You're just tired, Jason. Sit down. It'll be okay."

He did as she asked. The sun was bright which caused him to squint as he moved to sit inside the car. "It's too bright."

Mandy reached in the car, pulled a pair of sunglasses from her visor and gave them to her friend. "I agree. Here. You can use these."

Jason took them and placed them over his eyes. "It's bright today."

"Yes, I agree." Worried, she closed the door and raced around to the driver's side. Once she was inside, she locked all of the car doors and placed the key in the ignition. "I'm going to take you home. You need to rest. You probably need some Advil too." He didn't say anything and she wasn't sure if that was good or bad. "It's okay, Jason. You're going to be fine." _God, I hope so._

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Ray stood in the bedroom doorway and watched his friend sleep. "I knew that there was something wrong. He knew it too." It made him angry that Jason condemned him for deploying with a banged-up shoulder and yet he didn't think his concussion was anything to worry about. "Have you talked to Alana?"

Her arms folded against her breasts, Mandy shook her head. "No . . . she and the kids didn't meet him when he came back. Jason said she sent him an email saying she and their children are out of town. I don't think calling her will do any good."

"Probably not." Jason and Alana's divorce felt so wrong to Ray. He knew that they loved each other and yet here they were. "Do you want to take him to the doctor?"

"No, he just needs a lot rest." Alana had talked to her physician before she had called Ray. "He should have never gone on that last mission after he was hurt. He needed to stand down and let you lead the team. It was dangerous what he did . . . He's going to get that rest now whether he likes it or not. I assume you're going to get your shoulder operated on?"

"Jason told you?" Concerned, Ray glanced at Jason then back at Mandy.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Right now, he doesn't have a lot of people to talk to about anything . . . Yes, he told me, but I haven't told anyone else and I won't. He's worried about you. He needs you healthy and back on the team."

Not sure if he should be angry or sad, Ray sighed. "I've got an appointment with a surgeon tomorrow. He didn't need to tell you or anyone else. I'm handling it."

Mandy knew he was probably angry with Jason, but she also knew he didn't have all the facts he needed. "He told me because I went to him and told him that Paul Mulwray was going to use your accident at the hospital and bring you down. I told him that killing the boy was an accident, but Paul didn't care . . . I had leaked Paul a story that wasn't true and he printed it. At the time, I was trying to flush out the assassin, Abu Ali and I couldn't think of a better way to do it . . . Jason killed Abu Ali at Forogh Curative Hospital which took out a very dangerous assassin, but Paul didn't appreciate that. He took my false lead as a personal betrayal. He was going to go after you because of me. When Jason found Steve Porter's disks I realized that I could trade stories with Paul. He could go after Xeon Tactical and forget his vendetta. Jason agreed with me about what I was going to do. The price of giving Paul the story to bring down a corrupt organization that was responsible for the deaths on Echo Team was that he'd leave you alone. It's a huge story. He might even get a Pulitzer Prize out of it. He really couldn't turn it down."

This was the first time he was hearing about Paul and it made him realize that there had been a lot going on behind his back. A lot. The meetings between Jason and Mandy and Davis. Jason had told him it was to protect him from Cutter, but he hadn't asked to be protected and he was angry that no one had told him that a reporter was going after him. It was too much.

"Why am I here if you don't want my help taking Jason to the hospital?" Ray had a lot to think about, but at the moment, he needed to know why Mandy wanted him at her place.

"Paul Mulwray called me a little while ago. He wants to meet with me." She saw the look of alarm on Ray's face.

"Do you think he's going to go after me after all?" This was a nightmare, an unending nightmare.

Mandy wasn't sure and she was afraid that Ray was about to become a victim of a vengeful reporter. "I don't know. I need you to stay here and make sure Jason doesn't go anywhere. He needs bedrest or he's going to end up in the hospital . . . If you don't want to do it, I'll call Sonny. He'd probably love to have the chance to sit on Jason to keep him here."

"No, I'll stay." Ray just wished Jason had kept him in the loop. He might have been able to help with Cutter and Paul. "I don't think he'll give me any trouble."

Relieved that Ray was willing to help, Mandy stepped away from the door. "Good. The less people that know about Paul and his connection to me and Jason the better. I'll be back as soon as I can. I have beer in the refrigerator. Don't let Jason have any."

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Paul met her at a bar near her apartment. Mandy didn't want to meet with him at any bar closer to the base. She didn't want to be seen talking to Paul if she could help it.

Once she was sitting at a table with the reporter, she ordered a beer and waited for Paul to begin the conversation.

Sipping from a glass of Scotch, Paul studied Mandy over the rim of his glass. "You heard about Cutter?" It was on the news and he assumed Mandy watched the news at least once in a while.

"Yes, he and several of his staff were arrested in Jalalabad." At the moment, that was all she knew about the situation. She had been too busy dealing with Jason to get on the phone with her contacts. "Congratulations."

"Yeah, thanks." Paul had thought long and hard about what he wanted to do, but he had waited to see if the information that Mandy had given him would play out. "This story is huge. This is going to bring down a lot of people, not just Alan Cutter. I know of two politicians that are scrambling to cover their asses at this moment . . . Senator Rentz is a former partner of Cutter's and he still has stock in the company. He's trying to separate his past from his present . . . He's not going to be able to save himself. He's in too deep."

Mandy had looked over the data before she had given it to Paul and had made sure she had multiple copies before she had given Paul his story. If Paul had decided that the story was too dangerous to pursue then she had planned to approach someone else. Alan Cutter was not going to get away with murder. "That's a shame." The sarcasm was caustic and she didn't care.

Amused, Paul chuckled. "Yeah, I get it. He betrayed our country, betrayed Echo Team and you want blood. I get it . . . I'm not going after Ray Perry. I gave you my word and unlike you, I can be trusted to keep it."

That statement was supposed to cut her, but it didn't. She had stopped a very dangerous killer from continuing to murder people and she wasn't sorry for that. "Good. He didn't mean to hurt the child. He made a bad throw while under fire."

Paul shrugged his shoulders. "Meant to or not, the boy is dead . . . I just wanted you to know that there are going to be more arrests in the near future. The FBI and Homeland Security have been talking to me for days now. I offered them Steve Porter's evidence if they kept me in the loop. I broke the story just before Cutter was arrested. All in all, this has been a very fruitful relationship. Of course, that's overlooking the shit you pulled on me earlier, but no hard feelings, right?" He was still angry and very hurt that she had used him, but he was a big boy and he had bigger fish to fry. "Of course, I will always double check everything in the future that the CIA or anyone else decides to pass along to me . . . I won't be used again."

She understood the underlying threat. "That would be very wise." She and Jason had their revenge and they could let it go. Cutter was not going to survive his betrayal. His company was worthless now and anyone attached to Xeon was tainted. "Steve Porter and Echo Team deserved justice."

Surprisingly, Paul agreed. "Yes, they did."

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Jason was awake when Mandy arrived at her apartment. He and Ray were sitting in the kitchen drinking coffee. "Cutter was arrested along with his staff this morning. Paul Mulwray told me that the FBI and Homeland Security are working the case . . . He's not going after you Ray. The story he has will make his reputation. He doesn't care about you."

"Gee, thanks." Ray wasn't sure whether he should be insulted for not. He was glad Paul wasn't going to do a story about him, but that didn't mitigate what had happened. He had killed the boy because of his bad arm and he had to live with that, but at least he didn't have to do it with the press breathing down his neck. "I need to go home. Naima needs me to watch the kids while she goes shopping . . . Thanks for having my back, Mandy."

"We both had your back." Mandy pointed at Jason who was staring at his cup of coffee.

Jason looked up and sighed. "I will always have your back, Ray. You can count on that." Ray was going to get his shoulder fixed and they could fix their friendship in the meantime. "Bravo Team needs you."

He appreciated the sentiment. Ray didn't want to leave Bravo Team at least not yet. "I'm seeing my surgeon tomorrow." Standing, he picked up his cup of coffee and finished it. "We'll talk later." He placed the cup down and left the room.

"Yeah, we will." Jason waited until the front door opened and closed. "Thanks."

Mandy smiled. "You're welcome."

"I mean thanks for everything you've done for me."

"You're welcome."

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Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


	3. Chapter 3

(After season 1)

Thank you for reviewing my story. It is the only way I can tell if you're interested in it.

I don't own Seal Team.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

Because he didn't want to admit that there was anything wrong with him, Jason had put in for two weeks of vacation. With his concussion and Ray scheduled for shoulder surgery, Bravo Team was not ready to go on missions. At least not at the moment.

He had been home a week before his daughter Emma called him. _I'm glad you're back home, Dad._

Surprised his daughter had contacted him, Jason felt a rush of anger that he knew he needed to control. "So, you decided you knew my phone number after all?"

 _Mom took Michael and me on vacation, Dad. I knew you'd be busy when you got back, so I waited to call now. I didn't want to interfere with Bravo Team._

"Right and what was your excuse while I was deployed?" Jason didn't want to be this way, but the lack of communication with his children had been a harsh reality. "I tried to call you and your Mom and no one could be bothered to call me back. Not one phone call Emma. What did I do to you for you to treat me like this?"

 _You divorced Mom, Dad. Someone has to be on her side._

"I have some news for you, Emma." He hadn't wanted the divorce and by God he wasn't going to take the blame for it. "It was your mother that asked for the divorce, not me."

 _She didn't tell me that._

Jason snorted. There was nothing funny about the situation and yet this whole conversation was a joke. "You'd be surprised what she doesn't tell you."

 _I'm glad you weren't hurt while you were gone. Bye Dad._

The call ended just like that and Jason knew that his daughter was angry, probably with him, but at this point he didn't care. Alana had broken the family into pieces and he was the fragment that no one wanted. It was a bitter pill to swallow.

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His chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm while Ray slept and Naima was grateful that her husband had finally received the surgery he needed. Deploying with an injured shoulder had been a dangerous gamble, but she knew he had done it because of their financial situation. Her maternity leave had shorted them a paycheck and Ray had done everything he could to keep them from losing their house. They had worked out a tight budget before he left for Afghanistan which had helped pay the bills and his deployment money had added a cushion. Now that she was back at work, money wasn't so tight, but they had not adjusted their budget back to the way it was before she had gone on maternity leave. They had a goal now and that meant that they were going to save whenever they could, however they could. They never wanted to be in that pitiful situation again. Ray swore he didn't need the cable premium package anyway and Naima appreciated the small sacrifice. They were making several small sacrifices and those were helping them save money.

A knock on the door broke into her thoughts. Looking over at the open doorway, she noticed Jason standing there, not quite in the room. "Come in."

He hadn't been sure if he would be welcome or not, but Jason couldn't keep away. No matter how angry he was, Ray was his best friend and he owed it to the man to make sure that the surgery had been successful and he knew he had support. "How's he doing?"

Naima smiled. "He's doing quite well. His surgeon was pleased with the outcome. Ray can go home tomorrow morning. He has to wear a sling for about two or three weeks and then he needs therapy for about eight weeks. He can return to work in two weeks as long as it's light duty . . . He'll be as good as new in a couple of months."

"I'm glad." Jason knew there might be some bumpy roads ahead, but Naima was being optimistic and who could blame her? He hoped that she was right and Ray sailed through this. "We're going to miss him, but he needed this done. Once he's healthy he can take back his position in Bravo Team and we'll be good to go."

"Will he be accepted back into Bravo Team?" Naima new that Jason hadn't taken being lied to very well, but Ray had done what he had thought he needed to do. "Ray didn't want to let Bravo Team down, let you down. That's why he deployed. He didn't think his shoulder was in bad shape . . . he was wrong of course, but he didn't do what he did to harm the team or you. He did his job and now he's had the surgery to fix his shoulder."

Jason shook his head. "He knew his arm needed surgery and he lied to me, to Blackburn, to everyone. He could have got killed because of what he did or got someone else killed." Ray's bad shoulder had actually caused a boy to die on his birthday, but it wasn't up to Jason to tell Naima about it. That was her husband's responsibility.

"How is your head?" Naima knew about the concussion and found Jason's resentment towards Ray to be ludicrous.

"I'm fine." He was better and he'd be ready to go back to work in a week. He'd have to delegate some of his duties while he recovered from his concussion, but he wasn't incapacitated. "It was just a knock on the head." Jason moved closer to the bed. "To answer your original question, I want Ray to be back in Echo Team as soon as possible. I count on him and he knows that . . . Someday he's going to have his own team . . . He's going to have to make some tough decisions, but that's what it means to be a team leader. When you deploy your team has to be whole and healthy. You have to be able to count on everyone to do their job and to do it right."

Their conversation interrupted Ray's sleep and he opened his eyes. "You have a concussion, Jason. You went on a mission hurt. How is that different from what I did?"

"I had you to fall back on Ray and it was one mission, not the entire deployment." Jason placed his hands on his hips. "I had my team there to work with me. I could have pulled you from that mission, but I didn't. You're Bravo 2. If anything happens to me then the team looks to you. I knew I could count on you even though you weren't one hundred percent. Now that you've had your surgery we'll be able to count on you when you come back . . . it was the lying to me, Ray. That's what made me mad. I need to know that when things are going sideways you'll be honest with me."

He closed his eyes and nodded his head. "I really didn't think my shoulder was that bad . . . Maybe I was lying to myself, I don't know. Maybe I didn't want my brothers to go into a bad situation without me."

Jason nodded his head. "Yeah . . . maybe that's what I did too." He turned and walked over to the door. After he opened it, he turned to look back at his friend. "If you need anything you call me. I'm still at Mandy's place. I need to find my own place soon before she gets tired of me and kicks me out." Once he was in the hallway, he closed the door behind him and made his way to the parking lot where Mandy was waiting for him. He had promised not to drive anywhere for two weeks and that promise was getting hard to keep. He hated that Mandy had to drive him everywhere he wanted to go. Maybe he needed to call Sonny and see what he was doing.

Once his friend was gone, Ray opened his eyes and looked at his wife. "I'm worried about him."

Naima nodded her head. "I'm worried about both of you."

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Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


	4. Chapter 4

(After season 1)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Seal Team.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooo

He was resting in the guest bedroom. Jason had been living with Mandy for almost two weeks and he really needed to find his own apartment before he had to go back to work, but he had promised Mandy he wouldn't drive and he hated using public transportation, so he wasn't sure how he was going to get that done in the next three days.

"Jason." Mandy stood in the doorway and waited for his response. At the moment, Jason was unpredictable when he was asleep. It was wiser to stand at least a short distance from him when it was time to wake him up. "Are you awake?"

Opening his eyes, Jason sat up and moved to the edge of the bed. "What's up?"

"I've found you an apartment." Mandy knew that Jason needed his own place and she had made a few inquiries to help him out. "You said you wanted your own place and I think I found just what you need . . . Of course, if you need time and want to stay here you can. I'm in no rush for you to leave."

"No, no that's fine." Jason yawned. "I'm just lying around doing nothing anyway. Where's the apartment?"

Mandy stepped into the room. "It's at the end of the hall. Rick Santos, the manager for this building told me about the vacancy this morning and I thought we could check it out on my lunch break . . . it's furnished."

"Down the hallway?" He was a little surprised that Mandy wanted him to live near her, but she was a good friend, so maybe it wasn't a surprise after all. "Alright, let's go see it."

Once they were in the hallway, Mandy led Jason to the apartment. "It's the last apartment on the left. That means you'll only have neighbors on one side of your apartment. Always a plus believe me . . . Rick is waiting for us."

Jason liked Mandy's apartment building. It was just five miles from base and most of the people that lived in the building were military or worked for the military. As they entered the apartment, Jason noticed a tall man in the kitchen leaning on the kitchen island.

"Master Chief, I heard you were looking for an apartment." Rick walked around the counter and shook Jason's hand. "It has two bedrooms, both partially furnished, a living room as you can see, a kitchen, one bathroom . . . There is room for a washer and dryer in the kitchen if you're interested. If not, we have a laundry room on the first floor."

Curious, Jason moved through the apartment and looked at each room with Mandy following. Both bedrooms were the same size, but he liked the room that faced the parking lot better. It was facing west which meant the morning sun wouldn't pour into the room when he was trying to sleep. "Looks okay to me." It had been years since he had lived in an apartment and he knew he'd have to adjust.

Mandy could see that Jason wasn't very enthusiastic about the place, but then again, he probably had a right to be sad about the situation. Alana had divorced him and his life was changing whether he liked it or not. "We can make a list of things you need like sheets, towels, cleaning supplies, food. I can take you to the store Saturday and we can get you squared away and ship shape by Sunday."

Reentering the living room, Jason placed his hands in his pockets as he approached Rick. "I guess I'll take it."

Rick smiled and pointed at the lease laying on the kitchen island along with a pen. "I'll need the first and last month's rent for a deposit . . . There are a lot of sailors and marines living here as well as people that work on the base . . . I think you'll like it once you settle in. We have a pool in the back and you can use it anytime from 5 a.m. until 10 p.m. Guests are welcome of course. There's a vending machine kiosk next to the laundry room if you're looking for a late-night snack or drink."

Since he didn't have any better options, Jason signed the lease, filled out a check for the deposit and handed it to Rick. "I'll move in Saturday."

The lease signed, Rick left the apartment leaving behind a quiet couple.

After a few seconds, Jason laughed. "You know this is going to sound weird, but I've never lived by myself. I joined the Navy right after I graduated from high school. After Alana got her degree we got married and then when we separated I moved in with Ray and Naima . . . Hell, I've been living with you for two weeks. I don't know what it's like to live by myself."

"It takes some getting used to." Mandy felt sad for Jason. His divorce was not what he had wanted. "I moved into my own apartment my sophomore year of college and I've lived most of my life alone ever since. It can be a little too quiet sometimes, but it's nice to have someplace you can count on as being a peaceful refuge when life gets too hectic . . . I'll be down the hallway, you can always visit me."

He knew it was going to be rough at first, but he'd have to get over the fact that he didn't live with his family anymore. That part of his life was over. "Yeah, thanks." What else could he say? This was a new phase of his life and he'd have to adjust.

"You're welcome." She wanted to do more for him, but he'd have to make an effort to adjust to his new circumstances, she couldn't do that for him. "Why don't we go out to lunch, my treat."

"Sure, why not. No tacos though." Jason wanted to talk to Alana, to see if she was fine with her decision about the divorce, but he couldn't get her to call him back. He didn't know what he had done to deserve that kind of treatment, but he knew he didn't have the power to change it. Alana was a strong independent woman and wasn't that why he'd married her in the first place?

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

That Sunday, Jason was out of Mandy's apartment and in his own place. Mandy had insisted that he buy sheets, towels, wash clothes, toiletries, cleaning supplies and his refrigerator was stocked. His clothes were in the bedroom and his sports equipment was in the guest bedroom. He had bought a television and when he hooked it up he found he had basic cable. He decided that was all he needed. Once he was alone, he made a list of the things he needed to accomplish in the next few weeks. He needed to separate his checking account, car insurance and savings account from Alana's accounts. He wasn't sure how he was going to do that if she wouldn't even talk to him.

Determined to move on, he wrote her a letter and asked her to contact him, so they could take care of the financial side of things. He had always relied on Alana to pay the bills and now that was going to be his responsibility. Jason felt like circumstances were forcing him to leave Alana behind and maybe that was her plan all along. After all, she had told him she didn't want to share him with Bravo Team anymore.

Oddly enough, he wasn't sure what his financial obligations were now. Since he didn't live in the house anymore, he would have to separate himself from the mortgage. "Damn it, I need a lawyer I guess. I don't know what the fuck I'm doing." Frustrated, he went for a walk. He wasn't allowed to jog or run because of his injury for at least two more weeks. That was per Mandy's doctor and it seemed like good advice even if it was a pain in the ass restriction.

Out on the sidewalk, Jason walked towards the base. It was hot, but the ball cap was firmly on his head and it would protect him from the sun. He had driven through the neighborhood several times in the past, but he had never walked it. It gave him a chance to learn what stores and services were available in the area. It was a quiet neighborhood and that was fine with Jason. He needed time to think and this was as good a place as any to do it.

Ooooooooooooooooooooo

Sunday evening, Jason arrived at Ray's home and after a few seconds of hesitation, he knocked on the front door.

Surprised to see Jason, Naima invited him in. "Come in, Jason. The children are asleep."

"I knew it was too late. I can leave." He didn't want to cause Naima trouble. He knew what it was like to take care of a baby. If you were lucky, you might get in about five or six hours of sleep and that was on a good night. "Just tell Ray . . ."

"No, don't leave." Naima didn't know why Jason was there, but he was her guest and she wouldn't chase him away. "Ray is resting, but he's not sleeping. He's in the bedroom."

He took that as an open invitation and smiled. "Thanks. I'll keep it down." Quietly, he moved down the hallway and found his friend propped up against the headboard of his bed, a folded magazine in his right hand. "How's the arm?"

Not expecting to see Jason, Ray dropped the magazine on his lap. "Good . . . how's your head?"

"Fine . . . I can drive now." Jason moved through the doorway and stopped. "It was a pain in the ass getting Mandy to drive me everywhere . . . I have my own place now."

"Oh, good." Ray had wondered how long it would take Jason to move out of Mandy's apartment. "You talk to Alana yet?" He really didn't understand what was going on between Jason and Alana. Their divorce made no sense to him and it make him wonder just how fragile his own marriage was. He and Naima loved each other, but so had Jason and Alana.

His situation with his family was frustrating, but Jason didn't know what to do about it. "No. She won't return my calls. I wrote her a letter . . . Emma called me. I haven't heard from Michael."

 _What a mess!_ Ray sighed. "I'm sorry, Man. This isn't how I thought it would play out. I thought that Alana and you would get back together . . . Is Emma doing okay?"

"Better than I am, I guess." Jason shrugged his shoulders. "I just came by to see how you're doing and to . . . to make sure you're okay."

"I'll be out of the sling next week. I can work after that, but I have about six to eight weeks of therapy to do . . . That boy I killed . . . "

"It was an accident, Ray." Jason knew that his friend was still upset about the boy's death. "Maybe you should talk to your minister. It might help."

Ray had thought about it. Reverend Bishop was an ex-marine and he might understand what he was going through. "I was going to talk to him today, but I had a headache . . ."

"Yeah." Jason wanted to help his friend, but he wasn't sure if he knew how. "We all make mistakes. If I hadn't listened to Nate he would be alive today. I was in charge and I knew our time was limited on that ship, but Nate wanted what was in that safe . . . I should have said no. You shouldn't have deployed and now a child is dead. We're both responsible for the deaths of someone. We didn't set out for them to die, but they're dead and there isn't anything we can do about it. All we can do is move on and try not to let it happen again. When you're Bravo One, you're responsible for everyone in your unit. The boy's death is just as much my responsibility as yours . . ."

"Jason . . ." Ray was not going to let the boy's death be passed on to Jason's shoulders. "Don't do that. Just stop. Like you said, we both screwed up, but you are not responsible for that boy's death and as for Nate . . . we were on a mission and he was killed because the bad guys shot him. It's the risk we take when we join Seal Team. We may not make it back, but we go anyway. We have a job to do and we do it."

Jason smiled. "Exactly."

Puzzled, Ray stared at Jason for a few seconds then shook his head. "Smart ass."

Glancing around the room, Jason noticed how neat the place was. He hoped he could keep his place as neat. "Yep."

Moving off the bed, Ray pointed at the doorway. "Want a beer?"

"I can't, I promised Mandy I'd wait for another week." Jason tapped the side of his head. "Damn concussion."

"You're lucky you have a hard head, Jason."

Ooooooooooooooooooooooo

Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


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